In the field and on board many types of ships, helicopters and VTOL aircraft must be safely secured when they are not deployed. Various types of hold-down devices have been used with varying degrees of satisfactory results. One of the problems with the prior art hold-down devices is the inability to quickly release an aircraft for deployment or for rolling the aircraft from one spot to another when it is on the ground.
In certain military situations, an aircraft is "crated" for shipment to a desired location. Various types of restraining devices are included within a storage container for ensuring that the aircraft remains secure. However, the restraining devices generally take quite a bit of time to release so as to limit the immediate deployment capability of the contained aircraft.